Environment Week: Education, Volunteer Activities & Innovation
June 3, 2019
At J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI), we are always looking at new ways to lighten our environmental footprint. Working with great partners on research and conservation helps us learn, share and apply best practices. We are also proud to work with amazing community organizations as volunteers and sponsors of their environmental efforts. Read more on how we are celebrating our environment every day.
19th Annual Envirothon
The Envirothon has been an annual tradition for JDI in the Maritimes for over 20 years. The 19th Annual Envirothon had 16 teams - over 85 students from New Brunswick and PEI - taking part in the competition, which included a series of field tests and an oral presentation. The teams gained practical experience by visiting various testing stations where they could study soil, examine water quality, and measure trees, to name a few. During the oral competition, students had the opportunity to present their response to an environmental scenario. The event is a hands-on environmental competition focused on a problem-solving presentation as well as written field tests. The competition tests students on five core subjects - aquatic ecology, forestry, soils, land use, and wildlife.
Congratulations to all the students who took part in our Envirothon this year!
Kudos to the New Brunswick winning team from Tantramar Regional High School! They won first place overall including top for Forestry, Wildlife, Aquatics and the Oral Presentation. They have earned the chance to compete in the North American competition to be hosted in Raleigh, North Carolina July 28 through August 2. Congratulations and best of luck!
Front (L-R): Joseph Caswell, Oliver Priemer, Isaiah Ayer
Back (L-R): Isaac Ayer, Casey Murray (Captain)
Cavendish Farms has been a sponsor of the winning Envirothon P.E.I. team since 2017. In honor of the provincial competition’s 2018 theme, Sustainable Agriculture, Cavendish Farms offered farm tours to all the P.E.I. teams. During the tour, the teams learned about innovative cover cropping, buffer zone enhancement, willow tree buffers, pollinator plots and variety demonstrations. This year Cavendish Farms will support the winning team from Three Oaks Senior High School to compete in Raleigh, North Carolina.
J.D. Irving, Limited has been involved in the New Brunswick Envirothon since its inception in year 2000. J.D. Irving, Ltd has been involved with creating wildlife teaching materials as well as creation and invigilating of the wildlife exam.
23rd Annual Marsh Creek Cleanup
Rainy weather didn't stop over 80 volunteers who came together and helped remove 2.22 tons of garbage during the annual Marsh Creek Cleanup! Working in teams, everyone came out to help clean our beautiful streams and wetlands for the health and well-being of humans and wildlife alike. Prizes were awarded to the team who collected the most debris and the team who collected the most "unique" item of the day!
Our volunteers are amazing - thank you!
J.D. Irving, Limited was the presenting sponsor. A big thank you to Clintar Landscape Management - Saint John, NB for helping us transport of garbage, and MEC, Turtle Shore Adventures, River & Trail Outdoor Company, Cooke Inc. and Fundy Trail for the donation of amazing prizes.
Switching to LED Lighting
In an effort to lower their carbon footprint, Kent Building Supplies has switched the lighting in their Saint John East store over to LED technology. The Kent Saint John East store has also gone ahead and installed "in-rack motion sensors" in an effort to further reduce energy consumption. The Saint John East store has undergone a number of upgrades and renovations over the last month and is set to host a grand re-opening this summer!
Uptown Team Up to Clean Up
Several volunteers from J.D. Irving, Limited teamed-up to clean-up Uptown Saint John in the 5th Annual Uptown Clean Sweep! Spirits were not dampened, despite being a wet morning, and 120 people helped pick up garbage bags full of trash and litter to help keep Uptown Saint John clean and inviting.
Unique Areas Conservation Program
JDI's biodiversity strategy encompasses research, training, and the application of technology to ensure that our forestry operations meet our biodiversity objectives. J.D. Irving, Limited’s international award-winning Unique Areas Conservation Program has grown from 29 sites in the 1980’s to 1,561 sites and counting ...
These sites include:
• Birds & Mammals
• Fish
• Lakes & Wetlands
• Unique Forest Stands
• Old Growth & Conservation Forests
• Plants
• Historic Sites
• Geological & Fossil Sites
• Reptiles & Invertebrates
Protecting Water every day
JDI foresters are protecting over 27,000 kilometers of watercourses on the lands we own and manage. Learn about how our LiDAR or Light Detection and Ranging technology helps our foresters to identify the smallest streams and wetlands.
Through CAST (Collaboration for Atlantic Salmon Tomorrow) we're also working with great scientists at the Canadian Rivers Institute, UNB and Université Laval to study, protect and increase wild Atlantic salmon populations.
Investing in a Greener Future
A recent $30 million investment at Lake Utopia Paper near St. George, N.B. earned the team the Natural Resources magazine's 2019 Industry Excellence Award in Environmental Stewardship. The new environmental treatment facility turns organic waste into clean-burning biogas. This green energy replaces the use of fossil fuels, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent. In only 2018, there was over a 25 percent reduction in total waste. Watch the video and find out how they do this: